You Love Me Still
by Suraki
Summary: Yaoi Yusuke wants to be with Kuwabara but is worried about losing him to his human lifespan, Kurama and Hiei aren't sure what they want, and there seems to be something conspiring to keep the guys from finding happiness together.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Therefore, if a copyright infringement case came up against me, I'd be screwed. And so would all of you.**

**With A Home For The Heart almost over, I thought I'd put something new out there for you guys to read.**

**I don't know what to say about this except that Kurama can pretty much pull anything off.**

**You Love Me Still**

**Chapter One**

"How is it that you can wear a scarf and not look like an asshole?" asked Yusuke.

I looked over at my friend from behind my ice-cream cone. It was summer and yes, I was wearing a scarf. It wasn't one of those woolen scarves for warmth. It was a thin, light blue decorative scarf that I thought would look nice with my denim jacket, white t-shirt and blue jeans.

On the subject of clothing, Yusuke looked very handsome that day in his black so-tight-it-looked-painted-on shirt and low-rider black jeans. His hair was done in the usual style, so much gel it looked made of plastic and fit well with his characteristic smirk.

We were out for a walk in the park together, discussing nothing of importance, mostly catching up on what I'd missed while I had been away on vacation with my family.

"Earth to Kurama..." said Yusuke.

I looked over at him again. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"How come you can pull off wearing a scarf and not look like an asshole?"

"Ah, yes. Well, I think it has to do with my hair."

"That was really unhelpful."

I pulled the scarf off and wrapped it around Yusuke's neck. Then licked my ice-cream.

"See? I look like an asshole."

"Hmm..." I regarded him carefully. "Blue isn't really your color, I suppose."

"Yeah, that's what I always said when Keiko bugged me about my uniform." Yusuke put the scarf back around my neck. "Anyone else would look like a fruit-cake wearing that scarf."

"Oh, but Yusuke, I _am_ a fruit-cake."

"What?"

"Didn't you know?" I licked my ice-cream again. I loved ice-cream. "I thought we discussed this...?"

"No, you never told me. Are you saying you're gay?"

I nodded.

"Congratulations!"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"I mean it, it takes guts to admit that."

"You know this from experience do you?"

Yusuke cleared his throat. "Not because I'm gay but because someone else I know is."

I tilted my head to the side, thinking. Wondering if it was someone I knew. "Really?"

"Yeah, you're not the only one. Hiei is too."

"Hmm... I thought he was in love with Mukuro."

"Please! Are you kidding me? Mukuro might be butch but she's not man enough for Hiei." He broke into a smile that held a small amount of sadness.

"There's something else, isn't there?"

"Yeah, Kuwabara too."

"What about Kuwabara?"

"He's gay."

"Oh! I never would have thought..."

"Me either, which is why I was so shocked when he admitted that he was in love with me." Yusuke kicked at the dirt. "I was a total ass about it too. I bet he'll never speak to me again."

"What did you say?"

"It wasn't what I said, it was what I did. I _laughed_ at him. I thought it was a joke. It was just too... weird, you know? I mean, Kuwabara's supposed to be in love with Yukina, right? He's supposed to be straight."

"There's no such thing as 'supposed to be' Yusuke. If there was, this world would be a lot different. If everyone behaved the way they were 'supposed to' then there wouldn't be surprises. What kind of life is it when there are no surprises? What did you tell him, Yusuke?"

"I told him that I didn't mind but I wasn't into him that way." Yusuke flinched and I knew immediately that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"It really isn't the best idea to lie to me, Yusuke. You see, when you lie, you release a hormone with a very distinctive scent and you just produced a vast amount of it in a short period of time."

"It doesn't work that way, Kurama. I don't like it when you call me on my bullshit."

"I'm just stating facts. Now, either you just lied to me, or you lied to both me and Kuwabara. There's something going on that you aren't telling either of us and I believe that at least one of us deserves to know the truth."

"Just let it drop, Kurama. Okay? I don't wanna talk about it."

"That's fine, it isn't me you owe an explanation to."

"I don't owe anyone an explanation. This stuff is my business."

"I think Kuwabara deserves to know that you lied to him about your feelings. Even if it means admitting it to yourself. Even if you don't understand them completely."

"When did you become a psychology major? I thought you dropped out of school."

"I did but there are things that I know without having to be told or have to learn from a text book. Tell Kuwabara the truth or run the risk of losing him. You don't want that."

"I don't want him to love me, Kurama. I don't want anyone to love me and I don't want to love him back. I don't want to love anyone. I want to be left alone."

"You can't mean that. No one wants to be left alone, it isn't in our nature as sentient beings to be by ourselves. That is why we form family-groups and-"

"Don't lie to me Kurama. I know you were alone for fifty years."

I gave Yusuke a sad smile. "The worst years of my life."

"Oh yeah?" Yusuke smiled ironically. "Which years were the best?"

"Age fifteen to eighteen."

"You met me, Hiei and Kuwabara when you were fifteen, what happened three years later?"

"We all went to the Makai and were separated."

"Right, that whole debacle."

"I'm surprised you know the word 'debacle.'"

Yusuke shrugged. "I read sometimes. Don't tell anyone. I'm going for my GED."

"Oh? Why?"

"I don't want to be a dead-beat my whole life. No one wants to hire a drop-out. Well,except your boss of course."

"My boss is my father. I hardly think that counts."

"How did you do that anyway?"

"Do what?"

"Accept him as your father? You call him father like he's your real dad."

"He married my mother when I was sixteen, until then, I had no father."

"No kidding?"

"Well, I had a father once, but he... he died a very long time ago. I don't remember him much. At least, not as Shuuichi. As Yoko, I remember him perfectly."

"Wait a minute. You have two memories?"

"I am essentially two people. Yoko and Shuuichi. My memories are stored twice, from human perspective and from demon perspective. I use my human perspective to look at the world for the most part. I don't really like my demon perspective. It tends to be too cynical and distrustful."

"Most people don't deserve to be trusted. I have a demon perspective too. It's never wrong and I hate that."

"What does your demon perspective tell you about Kuwabara?"

"That he'd be a great lover but doesn't have a lot of staying power."

"Meaning?"

"That he'll die in six or seven decades and I don't want to deal with it."

"So there is your problem. You're afraid to be involved with Kuwabara because you know you will lose him too soon."

"Yeah and I'll live a few dozen centuries without him. What kind of life is that? I don't want to have to live through what my dad did. Waiting forever for my true love to return from the dead so we could live happily ever after. I don't want to love anybody, Kurama. Not someone who's gonna leave me before I even finish one tenth of my life."

"You're afraid to have your heart broken."

"I don't think it will be any more fun the second time around, no. I'm not anxious for it to happen again."

"I could feed you cliche's and unhelpful words of wisdom but it wouldn't help anything at all."

"You mean that 'tis better to have loved and lost...' thing?"

I nodded.

"I have loved, and I have lost and I don't want it to happen again."

"You are far too young to be this jaded about love. It's too late to change the way you feel but perhaps Koenma may be able to help with the part about losing him."

"What do you mean?"

"How do you think Toguro became a demon?"

"Ew... I don't know."

"Koenma made him one."

"I thought the tournament committee did that."

"They had connections in Spirit World and forced Koenma's hand. Of course, Kuwabara would have to agree to it and eventually come back to the Makai with us... But I believe you need to have a chat with Kuwabara first."

Yusuke nodded. "What do I say to him?"

"Start with 'I'm sorry I lied.' Then just tell him how you feel."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Lies are hard to keep up, telling the truth can often make it a lot simpler then keeping up the lie."

"You're right. You always are."

"I was wrong about Hiei."

"That was too emotionally charged for you to deal with."

"What?"

"You figure it out, Fox-boy, you have all the answers. See ya later." He gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked off back the way we came.

I touched my face, the kiss felt like a burn but I knew the feeling had nothing to do with Yusuke and everything to do with what he said.

_Now all I have to do is figure out what he meant by that..._

**Pairings should be obvious at this point. Convoluted but obvious. Please review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, and if I had a nickel for every time I had to write that, I'd be a lot richer than I am.**

**Blame the POV switches on my complete inability to write in the third person. My muses inspire me in first person. Sue me.**

**BIG thanks to Shiori Foxies Mom for pointing out that I didn't have enough body-text. I always do that. My beta must have missed it. growls at Mino.**

**Chapter Two**

Kurama made it sound so simple when he said it. Just apologize, he'd said. _And then what?_ I knocked on the door to Kuwabara's house and Shizuru immediately opened the door. She downed some suspicious-looking amber liquid when she saw me and shook her head.

"You are a walking train-wreck, kid. I hope you're not here to talk to Kazuma," she said.

"I owe him an apology," I said.

"You laugh at him again, I'll burn you with my cigarettes, okay?"

She didn't wait for me to reply, she just swung the door open and stepped aside. I passed her and took the comfortably familiar route to Kuwabara's room. I knocked and was surprised when the door opened by itself. "Uh," I said. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Kuwabara said from his seat on his bed. "Whatever."

I walked over to the bed and sat down beside him. "I'm sorry," I said. "I lied to you. And I'm a shit-head."

"It's not your fault," Kuwabara mumbled, not looking at me.

"It is if I lied. Which I did. Believe me. It was the dumbest thing I ever did, including getting run over by a car practically on purpose."

"You did that on purpose?" He looked up into my eyes, searching.

I sighed, wondering how best to explain my actions. "Not consciously. Unconsciously. The thing about pushing someone out of the way of a speeding vehicle is that you're supposed to grab and roll out of the way. Not push. I knew that but I just shoved the kid out of the way. I guess I kinda wanted to die. I mean, my life sucked anyway, until I realized that you cared about me. I had you written off as a suicidal punk out to raise his street credit by beating the toughest kid in the city. I was wrong. You tried so hard to beat me up because you liked me. Call me crazy, but that just didn't add up until that whole thing with Sensui and I also include that whole thing in the thing about dumb things I've done. Get what I'm driving at?"

Kuwabara gave me his 'unreadable impassive' look that I knew he had copied from Kurama. "If you're trying to make me feel better by telling me that I'm the reason you came back," he said. "then it's kinda working."

"How well would it work if I told you I loved you back?"

Kuwabara looked deep into my eyes giving me the creeps for a second before he started tearing up.

"Hey, hey!" I said. "Don't cry!"

"Why did you lie to me then?" Kuwabara asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"Do you know how bad it hurts to lose someone you love?"

Kuwabara looked confused. "I don't get it."

"You're a human, Kuwabara. I'm going to live a lot longer than you. How do you think it would feel to live 1,500 years mourning the death of someone you loved? There's no point living from here to oblivion if I have to be sad."

"Then why are you telling me now?"

I sighed. "Because there's a chance you might be able to live as long as me."

Kuwabara gave me the look that meant he was trying to search me for hidden meaning. "How?"

"You remember how Toguro became a demon?"

Kuwabara's gaze hardened. "I'm not good enough as a human so you want me to be a demon instead."

"I don't care what you are, I just don't want to lose you in sixty years! It's either you're with me for life or you're not with me at all. Whether or not you become a demon."

"Yusuke..."

"If you decide not to become a demon, I'll just follow you into death a couple decades from now. I figure there's no reason for me to hang around if you're gone. I don't want to live forever with a broken heart. Don't put me through that."

"You are so selfish!" Kuwabara wiped his tears away angrily.

"What?" I was shocked.

"You would kill yourself just because I died? What about Kurama? What about Hiei? What about their hearts? Aren't they worth living for? What's the matter with you, Urameshi? You're so freaking single-minded it drives me up the wall!"

_I guess I kinda see his point. _"I call it an 'all or nothing' ideal but you're welcome to call it whatever you want. I just don't want to live without the man I love."

"You're such an idiot." Kuwabara smiled at me. "A big idiot."

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because that's why I love you."

I leaned in and kissed him softly.

"Hey!" Shizuru yelled from the doorway. "None of that in my house."

"Chill, Sis," said Kuwabara. "It was just a kiss!"

"Whatever, always use protection. Just not in my house."

I broke into a fit of laughter. Kuwabara shook his head in disbelief then joined me.

"C'mon, Buddy," I said. "Let's go see Koenma."

"What kind of demon am I gonna be?" Kuwabara wondered aloud.

"What do you mean demon?" asked Shizuru, narrowing her gaze.

Kuwabara explained the situation to Shizuru.

"So, you're gonna be like half-breed here?" asked Shizuru

"Half-breed!?" I yelled indignantly. "I'm not half anything. I'm just me!"

"Calm down, train-wreck."

"Ha, ha," I said. "it is to laugh."

Shizuru giggled.

"You wanted to see me?" said Koenma, suddenly appearing next to Shizuru who jumped.

"Hey, Kid," she said. "Breaking and entering is a capital offense."

"You know who I am, Shizuru," said Koenma. "I'm not a kid."

"You _are_ a toddler half the time," I said.

That vein popped in Koenma's forehead. "Okay, Kuwabara," he said. "What kind of demon do you want to be?"

"Wind," Kuwabara answered immediately.

"Like Jin?" I asked. "Why?"

"Because Jin can fly. I want to fly," Kuwabara explained

"That's weird, Kuwabara," I said.

"Okay, Kuwabara," said Koenma. "Today is your lucky day. You only have to be dead for twenty-four hours."

"Dead?" said Kuwabara.

"Well, yes, you have to die to be reborn as a demon," said Koenma. "The preparations will only take twelve hours but the wavelengths of your spirit and body won't be aligned until tomorrow." Koenma went on to explain how the resurrection process worked. "And since Yusuke knows about it, all he has to do is kiss you tomorrow at around noon and you'll be alive again as a demon."

A sudden comprehension dawned on Kuwabara. "So that dream was..." he muttered.

"Yeah, jackass," I said. "You were supposed to kiss me so I could come back to life. I thought you were psychic but you couldn't even read into the meaning behind your dream. Luckily, Keiko..."

"Okay, fine but I was so freaked out about that dream that I couldn't think straight."

"Lie down, Kuwabara," said Koenma. "I'm going to separate your body from your spirit."

Kuwabara lay down, looking kind of freaked-out and closed his eyes. I kissed him quickly. "See you in twenty-four hours," I whispered.

Kuwabara grabbed my hand while Koenma leaned over him and put his hand to his chest. A few minutes later, his hand went limp and I felt his presence beside me. I gasped. "I can feel you, Kuwabara," I said.

I felt a strong surge of love that distracted me long enough not to notice the fleeting trace of demon energy coming from outside.

**Woot!! Kuwabara's gonna be a demon!! Gotta stop typing now. 2 am is too late to be up writing fanfiction.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not mine, applies to all chapters and stories!!**

**POV HIEI**

**Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews.**

**Chapter Three**

Jumping from tree to tree with one thing on my mind: find Kurama. It should have been simple enough except for the fact that I had no idea where Kurama lived. He had always come to me when he needed me. I had never been to his house.

I followed his scent from Kuwabara's house and was shocked when I reached a mansion. I gaped at the giant house for a moment before walking up to the door and knocking.

Kurama greeted me with a smile. "What a pleasant surprise, Hiei," he said. "Come in."

"They've killed Kuwabara," I blurted out. To tell the truth, the sight of Kurama had me flabbergasted. He was wearing white pants, a black shirt, white jacket, black cowboy boots and a white ten-gallon hat.

He looked amazing.

"Yes, I know," said Kurama. "He will be resurrected tomorrow."

I stared at him. "He what?"

"Koenma is making him into a demon. You can come in off the stoop, Hiei."

"You look hot."

"Actually, I have air conditioning so I am quite cool."

I walked past him into the living room. "I didn't mean temperature wise," I muttered.

I could hear the smile in Kurama's voice. "Why thank you, Hiei. I'm glad you think so."

"Are you going to a party?" I turned to face him and sat down on the black leather sofa by the fire-place, currently devoid of fire. I noticed that his boots had heels. They were _women's_ shoes.

Kurama took the hat off and fluffed his hair with one hand. "No, I just felt like looking 'hot' today."

"Funny, Fox-boy."

Kurama grinned at me and sat down on my left side. "You've picked up Yusuke's nick-name for me." He tilted his head to the side and a piece of hair brushed against his shoulder. I had the strongest urge to reach out and touch it. "I'm glad it caught on." He winked.

"You're wearing shoes in the house..."

Kurama crossed his legs and looked down at the boots. They were sexy. _Very_ sexy. "They're very clean, I just took them out of the box this morning. I was about to leave the house when you walked up."

I touched the collar of Kurama's black silk shirt. It was folded neatly against the lapel of his jacket.

"Hiei?" Kurama said questioningly.

I grunted. "Silk."

"Yes, isn't it soft?"

"For a Ningen fabric..."

Kurama reached into my cloak and felt the red liner. "You're right, this feels much nicer than silk."

"Conceited? You made this cloak."

Kurama smiled. "Oh, that's right. You were saying something about Kuwabara?"

"Why did Koenma kill him?" I asked.

"He's becoming a demon," Kurama explained.

"Why?"

Kurama frowned. "You would have to ask him. Or Yusuke. It really isn't my place to tell you."

Kurama's hand dropped down from the inside of my cloak to my knee. I growled at him. "Watch it, Kitsune."

Kurama withdrew his hand. "What are you doing in the Ningen world?"

"I came to visit."

"Who?"

"You! Gods, you are so aggravating."

"Why would you want to visit me?" Kurama gave me a look of mock surprise.

"I haven't heard from you in over six weeks. I wanted to make sure you were still alive."

"Am I supposed to check in with you?"

"No, but I would appreciate a call every once in a while," I muttered annoyedly.

"Why, Hiei?" asked Kurama.

"I didn't think of why, Kurama. I just wanted to visit you. Do I have to have a good reason to come visit someone I care about? Do I have to make an appointment to see my best friend?"

Kurama smiled but I thought I caught a flicker of sadness in his eyes. It was gone so quickly that I wasn't sure I had seen it. "I'm only teasing you, Hiei. I'm surprised that you came to visit me without an ulterior motive."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" I growled.

"Nothing, Hiei. Nothing at all."

"Why do you keep saying my name like that?"

"Like what, Hiei?"

"Like that!"

Kurama looked genuinely surprised. "You don't want me to say your name?"

I stared at him. _What is the matter with me?_

"Why don't you tell me what is going on in your mind right now?" he asked.

"I would if I understood it." I sighed. "I'm sorry Kuram-"

"You're what?"

"Sorry!"

Kurama's eyes widened slightly. "You've never apologized to me. So far as I know, you've never apologized to anyone."

I closed my eyes and tried to control my temper by clenching my fists. "You enjoy pointing out my faults..." I said as neutrally as possible.

"I'm pointing out differences. It isn't a fault to apologize to someone. Not at all. Nor is it a fault to learn decorum. What I don't understand is where this came from."

I gritted my teeth. "Mukuro," I said. "didn't like it when I was rude to her guards."

"Hiei, please relax. I'm not trying to grill you here. I'm just making conversation. If this makes you uncomfortable, change the subject."

My neck became hot at the thought of telling him what I came to tell him originally. The heat is the demon equivalent of a Ningen racing heart.

"You look flushed, is something the matter?" asked Kurama

"Mukuro wants me to be her mate," I replied as fast as possible because the words burned my throat.

Kurama nodded impassively. Or what he thought was impassive. I knew better by now. That information bothered Kurama very much. What I couldn't figure out was why. "I thought she might," he said.

_If he wants to pretend not to be upset, I will play along._ "I told her no."

Kurama nodded again.

"I need you to heal my cuts without getting upset," I said without thinking.

"Cuts? I don't smell blood..." Kurama said.

"I'm masking it."

"Hiei, why would you be cut?" The concerned look in Kurama's eyes made a lump form in my throat. I wanted to choke back my emotions. That one look was my undoing.

I released my blocks which also weakened me significantly. Kurama gasped. "She beat you for it?" he whispered harshly.

He started to pull my cloak off me. "Wait," I said. He pulled his hands away. "Don't get upset when you see them. Do not get upset. Promise me."

Kurama bit his lip.

"Promise!"

"I can't promise that, Hiei."

"Then _pretend_ not to be upset."

"That I can do."

I sighed and shrugged my cloak off. Kurama helped me out of my shirt and started unraveling the bandage that covered most of my upper-body. I felt Kurama's fingers fumble when he reached the first cut. "Hiei..."

"Pretend!"

"Al-alright." Kurama uncovered the rest of the cuts. They were all over my back and they were very unpleasant."

"Do you know what they say?" Kurama asked in a cold, unreadable tone.

"No."

"Do you want to?"

I nodded.

Kurama traced his finger under my shoulder-blades, his hand was shaking. "Harlot." He touched the cut on my neck. "Skank." He traced his finger down my spine. "Whore." He touched the left side of my lower back. "Cursed." He touched the other side. "S-slut." He touched the middle of my back. "Bitch." He touched my left shoulder-blade. "C-c... I can't, Hiei."

"I need to know what that woman carved into my skin," I said, angry.

"Cunt," he whispered. He touched my right shoulder-blade. He didn't say anything.

"What does it say, Kurama?" I asked gently.

"No, Hiei. Just let me heal it."

"What does it say?"

"It says... 'I f-fucked your mother.'"

I turned to face him. "Now heal them," I said. "I don't want any scars."

Kurama nodded with clenched teeth and reached into his hair for a seed. "Did she hurt you anywhere else?"

"Only my pride."

After a few minutes, I felt the wounds heal. It was a horrible stinging itch which Kurama tried to soothe with some kind of flower's nectar. I felt the tickle of a plant that I knew was cleaning the blood.

When Kurama was done, I turned to face him and thank him but he surprised me by placing both hands on my chest and I felt his ki going into my body and mingling with mine. I stared at him, shocked. "What are you doing? I'm okay now." I whispered.

"This is not okay, Hiei. It is very much not okay."

"What are you doing?"

"Feeding you. Is that alright? You need some extra ki to help heal."

"Isn't it easier to hug me?"

Kurama looked at me with sad eyes. "I know I told you I would pretend not to be upset but it's too hard. Will you forgive me if I cry?"

"If I say no, will you not cry?"

Kurama shook his head as the tears started falling.

"Stop... Don't cry for me."

"It hurts, Hiei. What she did to you hurts me."

I pushed his hands off my chest and wrapped my arms around him. He was shaking.

"I'll never forgive her, ne-ver."

"Don't cry," I said uselessly.

"She didn't touch you did she?"

"Other than with the knife, no."

"Oh thank the gods for that!"

I rubbed Kurama's back until he stopped crying than pulled away as gently as possible.

"I feel very foolish," said Kurama.

"Why?" I asked.

"For crying."

"It isn't foolish if you have a good reason. You did."

"Your back is healed."

_Yes, but who will heal your heart?_

**Sorry about the OOC with both characters. It's just hard to write something emotional going on between the two of them without having some OOC in the mix.**

**REVIEW!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. It belongs to Togashi and other people I've never even met.**

**POV: KUWABARA**

**Chapter Four**

Being dead was a weird experience. It wasn't what I expected at all. For the most part, I hung around Urameshi because I knew he could feel my presence. I tried touching him a couple times but he shuddered every time and I thought it might be a good idea to stop.

I floated along with Urameshi to his new house. He'd moved out of his mom's house three weeks prior for a reason he wouldn't tell me. He wasn't all the way unpacked.

"Sorry about the mess," said Urameshi, looking in my direction.

I tried to send the feeling of understanding in his direction. Communicating with emotions was hard but he seemed to get it.

"Knew you'd understand," he said. "Join me for dinner?" he asked with a smile on his face.

Something weird happened then, all of a sudden, I felt some intense sadness coming from Urameshi. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but I didn't know how to communicate that with emotions. In stead, I just sent some love at him.

"What?" said Urameshi. "Why are you loving at me?"

He was blushing. I laughed.

"I felt that," he said. "You're laughing at me."

"Then tell me why you're blushing," I said, frustrated.

Urameshi looked in my direction confusedly. "Man, I wish I knew what you just said. It feels like you're worried about me or something. I'm okay, in case you're wondering."

I sent some disbelief in his direction.

"I'm fine, Babe, don't worry," said Urameshi.

I laughed again at being called 'babe.'

"I hope you don't think I'm kidding by calling you Babe," said Urameshi.

I gaped at him and he started laughing. "You are too easy," he said. A lonely look crossed his face. "I wish I could see you. I wish my spirit awareness was as great as yours so I could see ghosts. To tell the truth, it kinda bugs me knowing you're dead even though you're coming back in a little while." Urameshi looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearly seven pm. "Too late for dinner," said Urameshi. "Not hungry anyway." I followed him up the stairs to his bedroom.

_He's going to bed this early?_ I wondered.

"No, I'm not going to bed right now. At least not to sleep," said Urameshi. "I think you should probably leave me for a while, you don't need to be here for this."

I was confused until I noticed that he had a raging hard-on. If I had blood, I'd be blushing. "When did that happen?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

"It's your fault. You kept touching me," said Urameshi. "Now get lost, unless you want to watch..." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I stayed put.

"You're a real jerk sometimes, you know," he said, starting to undress. "You brought this on yourself, I'm going to get revenge as soon as you come back."

I decided right then that this was none of my business but it was like watching a train-wreck, you don't want to stare but you can't look away. I tried not to stare at his naked body but I was drawn to him. He smiled. "I felt that," he said.

I floated over to him and kissed him as if I were solid. I think he felt it because he moaned. I touched his shoulders and felt him tense under my touch. He took a sharp breath when I ghosted my finger-tips across his neck. A sensitive area I suppose.

I experimentally touched his need and he gasped. "I c-can feel that!" Urameshi blushed and closed his eyes.

I kissed him again and backed him up against his bed. He fell on his butt as soon as the back of his knees hit the bed.

I felt his hand cover mine, then seem to meld into it. "This is crazy," Urameshi breathed. "I'm being felt up by a ghost!"

His hand moved the same time mine did. Urameshi gasped. "This is so intense... I feel you like you're here."

"I am here," I whispered, kissing his neck.

I guided his hand again and he flinched. "That feels soo good," he moaned.

I started moving our hands faster and Urameshi screamed in blissful agony. I noticed that his tattoos were starting to show. His hair started growing but Urameshi wasn't paying attention. Lost in sensation, I guess.

I started to worry when the color of his hair lightened and the tattoos turned purple but he was still himself. Moaning and crying out.

"K- Kazuma!" he cried at his release. I smiled and lay beside him on his bed, happy that he called me by my first name for the first time since I met him. "I love you so much," he whispered before drifting off to sleep.

"I love you too," I said. "Even if your hair is silver."

**Sorry that Kuwabara got such a short chapter but there's not much I can do with a dead character. **

**Let's try to ignore the fact that Yusuke just technically committed necrophilia, okay?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: It's not mine and it pains me every time I have to write a disclaimer to that effect.**

**Very big thanks to Chaseha-Wing for giving me a truthful review on A Home For The Heart.**

**POV: KURAMA**

**Chapter Five**

I was shocked to see Yusuke the next day. I was even more shocked when I realized his hair was waist-length and silver. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt but I could see the tattoos on his face. "Help!" he said.

I laughed, realizing the implication of his full demon form.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked.

"You look beautiful, Yusuke," I said.

Yusuke glared at me"You'd better not be hitting on me." It was true, his full demon form was quite beautiful, his muscles were bigger and harder. His scent was unmistakably demon and I was drawn to him but I knew that his heart belonged to another. As I'm sure mine would someday.

"Come inside and I'll see what I can do."

Yusuke followed me into my house and slumped down on the couch. "Is there something you can do?" he asked.

"Nothing can be done about your hair," I said. "It probably won't react to hair-dye and if I cut it, it will only grow back. That is what demon hair does."

Yusuke gave me a pouty look. "Can you at least hide the marks?"

I laughed again. "Sure, I have a plant that can hide body art. I used to use it to hide my tattoo."

Yusuke's jaw dropped. "You have a tattoo? Where?"

I lifted my hair and showed him the back of my neck. There was a crescent moon and star tattooed there. "I decided that growing out my hair would be more effective."

"When did you get it?" asked Yusuke

"It showed up when I turned 13, it's Yoko's tattoo, not mine," I explained.

"It's beautiful!"

I smiled sadly. "The story behind it isn't so beautiful." I reached into my hair and pulled out a seed. It grew into a quite pretty flesh-colored blossom. "Eat this."

Yusuke looked at it skeptically. "The whole thing?"

"Yes. It has a very pleasant taste, actually. I believe you might like it."

Yusuke took the flower from me and took a bite. "It does taste good!" he said.

"Why so shocked?" I asked.

Yusuke shrugged and finished eating the flower. His tattoos faded until they were gone completely.

"As for your hair," I said. "I suggest wearing it up. You have a lot of hair."

Yusuke sighed. "I know. It's all over the place."

"Here, let me help you."

I took a rubber-band out of the drawer beside the sofa and took hold of Yusuke's hair. I brushed it back with my fingers and started braiding it. When I was finished, a few pieces had fallen and were framing Yusuke's face. "It looks nice," I said. "Go look in the bathroom."

Yusuke went to the bathroom and came out looking satisfied. "At least it doesn't look as girly as I thought it would," he said. "And now it's not as itchy."

"You'll get used to it. It's almost noon, don't you have a date with a demon?"

Yusuke's eyes widened. "Yeah, I just wanted to see you first. How did you know, anyway?"

"Hiei told me that Koenma killed Kuwabara. I simply put the rest together from prior knowledge."

"Smart."

"Why haven't you mentioned that you and Kuwabara are mated?"

Yusuke looked at me like I was crazy. "Because we're not."

I smiled. "If you say so..."

"What?"

"You have teeth-marks on your neck. What I don't understand is how Kuwabara managed to mark you without you noticing."

"That's impossible! He never touched me until he died."

I raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? That doesn't make much sense Yusuke. Are you telling me you had sex with Kuwabara after he was dead?"

"No!" He frowned. "Kinda. It wasn't like that though! He kind of touched me."

I gasped and took a step back. "As a ghost? That is very odd, Yusuke. I've never heard of a ghost being able to touch someone living."

"Believe me, if you were there, you'd believe me. I gotta go resurrect my boyfriend."

"Mate, Yusuke."

"Yeah, whatever." He walked out.

I frowned. _How could Kuwabara bite Yusuke if he had no teeth? I will have to give this some thought._

**I know, another short chapter but... well, you'll understand later.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Not mine... yet... -evil laugh-**

**POV: YUSUKE.**

**Chapter Six**

After that supremely strange conversation with Kurama, I high-tailed it to Kuwabara's. I wanted him back in the flesh as soon as possible. It was a weird feeling because I hadn't been that anxious until last night after I fell asleep and had a few... ahem... dreams. I wanted to be able to hold him and kiss him for real. I wanted to feel his strong arms around me instead of just his essence embracing me and kissing me. How I longed for a real kiss. The thought made me moan out loud. Then I shushed myself.

I walked up to the front door of Kuwabara's house and knocked. "You don't have to knock," Shizuru's voice called from inside.

I took that as an invitation to just let myself in.

I entered the living room and saw that Shizuru was drinking again. I eyed her wine-glass suspiciously. "You know, that's what killed my mom," I said.

Shizuru gasped. "Atsuko is dead?"

"Dead to me," I replied.

"Brace yourself for going to see your husband," Shizuru said. "He looks a little different. So do you, now that I think of it..."

A little different was a major understatement. Kuwabara's hair had grown at least a foot, gotten straighter and turned a red to rival Kurama's hair. His face also seemed... handsomer. Like becoming a demon made him more attractive. Not that it made much of a difference to me. I loved him no matter what he looked like.

I pushed aside his hair to see if his ears had turned pointy like Jin's. They had. Luckily, his hair covered them sufficiently.

There was a pop and Koenma appeared at my side. It wasn't until then that I noticed that Kuwabara was glowing a silver color.

"Why is he silver?" I asked. "I was golden, right?"

"Yes," said Koenma. "But Kuwabara is a demon now and you weren't. Go on, kiss him."

"I don't feel him anywhere near by," I said. "Where is he?" I suddenly felt him standing beside me. "Never mind."

I knelt beside Kuwabara's bed and leaned in to kiss him. "I love you," I said before lowering my mouth to his and kissing him softly.

I knew the second he was back because he started responding to my kiss.

I pulled away and looked at him. "Man, you're hot!" I said.

Kuwabara sat up and looked at me. "I could say the same about you."

"Your voice is different too! It sounds lower and less rough. I like it." I hugged him tightly.

"There's just one problem," said Koenma.

We looked at him without letting go of each other. "What?" I asked.

"Kuwabara needs to go to the Makai to fully develop his powers and train."

I looked at Kuwabara and felt his answer without him having to say a word. It was just like when he was a ghost, I could feel his emotions and thoughts. It wasn't like telepathy or mind-reading, it was more a feeling I got from him.

"We'll leave tonight," I said.

Kuwabara nodded.

Shizuru walked in and bopped Koenma upside the head. "Jerk," she spat.

"What?" asked Koenma, rubbing his head where Shizuru had hit him.

"You're sending my baby bro off to a world full of dangerous monsters!" she said.

"It's okay, Sis," said Kuwabara. "I have Yusuke protecting me."

I stared at him, shocked for a second. "You called me Yusuke!" I said.

"Yeeahh... that's your name..." said Kuwabara.

I tackled him and gave him a noogie.

"Besides, Shizuru-san," said Koenma. "Kuwabara could give most of those demons a run for their money. He could probably easily kill a lower A-Class demon."

"I'm A-Class?" asked Kuwabara. "Cool!"

Koenma preemptively explained the class system to Shizuru.

"Let's go see if Kurama and Hiei want to come back with us," said Kuwabara.

"Hiei? Isn't he in the Makai?"

"No, didn't you feel his presence yesterday? He was right out there. I think something bad happened to him too, because I could tell his energy was kinda weak."

"Okay, we'll probably find them at Kurama's house."

"Let me get packed first," said Kuwabara.

"Yeah, I gotta go pack too," I said.

Shizuru gave us a disgusted look as I walked out. "Meet you at Kurama's!" I called over my shoulder.

- -

We met at Kurama's front porch a few hours later. I had called ahead to let Kurama know we were coming. Kurama answered the door with a plastered on cheerful face. I knew that it was fake immediately because Kurama only looked happy when he was trying not to look sad. Also because he was giving off a very agitated energy. It was weird that all of a sudden I could feel other people's energy so well.

"Come in, Hiei and I were just having dinner," said Kurama. "We would like it if you joined us."

We walked in and I knew that Hiei wasn't trying to even hide his sadness. He looked up at Kuwabara when we entered the dining room with open-mouthed wonder. He seemed to realize that he was staring because he snapped his mouth shut and went back to eating something that kind of looked like food.

"Did you cook?" I asked Kurama.

"Yes," said Kurama.

"Oh... well, I'm not exactly hungry. So!" I clapped my hands then stared at them like 'what the hell?' Because I don't clap. "Anyway, are you guys about ready to go to the Makai?"

Hiei grunted the affirmative. "Just let me finish eating this..." he trailed off. "this... Kurama, what in blue hell is this?"

"An omelet," said Kurama.

"I have my own chefs in Tourin," I said. "They could make you _actual_ food."

"Yusuke," said Kuwabara. "It's not that bad."

"Have you ever eaten Kurama's cooking?" I asked.

"That's a good point."

"Humph!" said Kurama. Which also struck me as weird because Kurama didn't make noises of indignation. He usually just gave evil looks.

_What is the matter with everyone today?_

"You look very nice, Kuwabara," said Kurama.

"I know, right?" I said. "He's so smexy!"

Hiei choked on his 'omelet' for a second before saying "I concur."

"What does that mean?" asked Kuwabara.

"He agrees with me," I replied. "Weird, I know. So, are we heading straight to Tourin or do we need to make a stop in Ala..." Kurama was making slashing motions behind Hiei's back so I said. "We should probably just go to Tourin."

Hiei stared at Kuwabara again. "What?" asked Kuwabara.

"You are floating," said Hiei.

_I wondered where that breeze was coming from._ I put a hand on Kuwabara's shoulder and pushed him back earth-bound. "Try not to do that in public."

"I didn't realize I was doing it," he said.

"S'okay, Babe." I gave him a kiss and a smile. He blushed and turned away.

- -

The trip to Tourin was really quiet, which unnerved me a lot because usually when you get us four together, there's nothing but talking and fighting and messing around. I looked around at my buddies and my 'mate' (I guess) and noticed that they were all wearing solemn expressions.

We were in the middle of a forest on the edge of my territory. It was starting to get dark.

"What's wrong with you guys?" I asked.

Hiei glanced at Kurama quickly and Kurama shrugged.

Kuwabara leaned in and whispered to me, "I was just thinking about last night."

Kurama tried to hide his amusement. It didn't work.

"What are you snickering about?" asked Hiei.

"Nothing, Hiei," said Kurama. "I just have very good hearing." He smirked at Kuwabara who ducked behind me to avoid looking at him.

"What does that have to do with anything, Kitsune?" asked Hiei.

"You probably don't want to know," I said.

Hiei looked from Kurama to me to Kuwabara and furrowed his brow. "Is something going on between you and Kuwabara?" he asked me.

"Look at Yusuke's neck," said Kurama

Hiei's eyes widened. "When did that happen?"

"What?" asked Kuwabara.

I pointed to the bite-marks on my neck. I knew where they were because I spent about fifteen minutes that morning looking for them. Then I just relaxed and saw Kuwabara's yellow spirit energy surrounding a circular mark on my neck.

Kuwabara touched it and I yelped. "I didn't mean to do that... I wasn't even trying to bite you. So... what does it mean?"

"It means that you and the Detective are married, idiot," said Hiei. "And I suggest not touching that mark unless you want to be jumped."

I felt the truth of Hiei's words all the way in my bones. I did want to jump Kuwabara. My whole body was filled with a wonderful tension.

"Married?" said Kuwabara. "You mean mated?"

"Very good, fool. You know the term mated."

"Every demon knows that term, brat."

I instinctively reached up and tickled Kuwabara's ears and he forgot all about Hiei and started laughing. "S-stop it!" he said ears wiggling the way Jin's did when he was really happy. Which, oddly enough, was when he was beating the crap out of me.

Kuwabara suddenly lifted off the ground, still laughing.

"You're floating again, Idiot," said Hiei.

He breezed past Hiei and circled him. "Jealous?" he asked.

"Knock that off before I knock you out."

"Love to see you try, Shrimp."

I rolled my eyes.

Hiei threw a punch at where Kuwabara was and nearly toppled over when Kuwabara wasn't there an instant later to take the punch. Kuwabara pushed Hiei from behind then zoomed up into the air, spinning like a tornado. He rocketed down and knocked Hiei over.

Hiei jumped up and tried to tackle Kuwabara again but ended up grabbing at air because Kuwabara was in the air a split second before Hiei reached him.

Kuwabara was clearly enjoying himself.

"Get down here and fight me on the ground!" Hiei yelled, sounding very annoyed.

"Why don't you just flit up here like you always do?" asked Kuwabara, starting to go after Hiei again.

"Do you think maybe we should stop them?" I asked. "Hiei might get seriously hurt. Kuwabara has a lot of leverage in the air."

"Stop!" Hiei screamed.

Kuwabara paused in mid-air and looked down at Hiei who appeared to be having a panic attack. He was clutching his chest and breathing fast and shallow.

Kurama rushed over to him and put a steadying hand on his shoulder while he reached into his hair for a seed. When his hand paused at his neck, I remembered the tattoo there and wondered what the sad story behind it was.

Kurama grew a leafy plant that looked like a small cabbage and handed it to Hiei. Hiei ate it and calmed down immediately. "Thank you, Kurama," he said.

Kuwabara flew over to me and rested to the ground beside me. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I don't know but I don't think any of us should fight Hiei for a while. I've never seen him look that scared."

Kuwabara nodded.

**That was significantly longer than my last few chapters and the next one promises to be even longer.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!**


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